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Recent Protection Device Reviews

Rock Empire Robot Cam

While these cams do not have the range per piece (or as an entire set) of BD C4s or Wild Country Friends, they are much cheaper. Robot cams are also a bit heavier than equal size of other cams. While essentially not as good a cam as its competitors, the price of Robot cams is so low that they are great for the climber on a budget. In the Czech Republic these cams retail for $25 each, regardless of size. In the US I found a set of 8 for $150 shipped. At this type of price the cash strapped climber… Full review

Black Diamond Camalot C4

Still the gold standard in camming devices. Superb construction and functionality; large camming range; competitively priced — I cannot imagine a better all-round cam. Rack up with a set of C4s and your confidence will take a leap up — there is simply no better all-round cam. Great design and construction, 4 lobes for maximum grip, perfect camming angle, biggest camming range, smooth trigger action, a thumb-loop for stability when placing, pretty colours and years of on-the-job performance. Full review

Black Diamond Express

Have used these on several outings. Ice screws bite great, hold well, and clean with ease. These are great ice screws that I feel comfortable relying on when my life is on my rope. They bite very well into ice and are placed easily. They clean well when racking up and are solid, reliable construction from Black Diamond.
On one trip I even drove a couple of these guys into some tree roots and made an incredibly bomber anchor. Full review

CAMP Ball Nut

Great idea... never use them though. None of my climbing partners will use these, and to be honest — I've only ever placed them out of curiosity. Because of the specific width — you are limited to finding cracks with that exact proportion for the camming-ball to fit. Realistically, any other nut will do. The wires get bent very easily, so the ball twists and turns. Great idea... never use them though. They still hang on my harness, though I often discard them when selecting gear — they're… Full review

Metolius Ultralight Fat Cam

I love these cams. Although they are harder to contract then the BD they work great in the rock. I have all the sizes and the colour coding system make it so easy to recognize the sizes. They're as strong as any other cam out there and some off the lightest ones available. Great stuff, love Metolius gear. I bought a full spread of the ultralight cams last season and love them. Although it is the first set of cams I have owned I have used other one and researched them extensively before purchasing… Full review

MSR Snow Fluke

I found the MSR fluke to have some interesting and potentially significant improvements over older designs. This extension of their venture into anchors, in keeping with the full name of MSR (Mountain Safety Research), is a further development of their Coyote Picket, introduced in 1987, which in turn followed the 1969-70 MSR Snow Picket and Snow Fluke. MSR also had an ice ax and ice screws in their line in the 1970s. MSR, a division of Cascade Designs, is better known these days for their excellent… Full review

MSR Snow Picket

I found the MSR snow picket to have some interesting and potentially significant improvements over older designs. This extension of their venture into anchors, in keeping with the full name of MSR (Mountain Safety Research) is a further development of their Coyote Picket, introduced in 1987, which in turn followed the 1969-70 MSR Snow Picket and Snow Fluke. MSR also had an ice ax and ice screws in their line in the 1970s. MSR, a division of Cascade Designs, is better known these days for their excellent… Full review

DMM Deadman

I always keep one of these within reach in the lid of my pack. It is definitely not my go-to protection on any routine basis, but this fluke excels at being quick to place when you need protection in a hurry, and the snow is not sufficiently consolidated to hold a picket in a deadman / T-slot configuration without first compacting / tamping the snow, and sometimes you just don't have time to do that. For example, I might use the fluke as a first anchor to backup a climber holding a crevasse fall… Full review

Trango MaxCam

These cams are adequate, but that's the best I can say for them. I bought the whole set, from .5-3 and have since taken the .5, .75, and 1 off of my standard rack. The 2 and 3 are fine, and most of the bad stuff I have to say about these cams is less of an issue with them. The 2:1 expansion range is really only an in-theory kind of thing. When they're cammed all the way down, the shape of the outer lobes makes this cam prone to getting stuck--passively. I've spent more time cleaning these cams than… Full review